Audio interrupter alertness device for headphones

ABSTRACT

The audio interrupter device ( 2 ) interfaces between any audio source ( 1 ) and headphones ( 3 ) to alert the user to external environmental sounds that exceed a threshold by temporarily halting audio transmission. The threshold is adjustable either through an automatic adjustment option that bases the threshold on the ambient sound level or through manual sensitivity adjustment. The device includes an audio plug ( 11 ) and an audio jack ( 12 ) that are connected to analog switches ( 10 ) that have the ability to connect and disconnect their corresponding conductors. An audio signal from a microphone ( 4 ) is amplified and input to a microcontroller ( 7 ), which compares the audio signal sample value to the sound interrupting threshold. If the audio signal sample exceeds the threshold, the analog switches disconnect the corresponding conductors of the audio plug and audio jack. If the audio signal sample is below the threshold, the analog switches connect the corresponding conductors of the audio plug and audio jack and thereby allow the audio signal to be transmitted from the audio source to the headphones.

The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appearsrelevant:

U.S. Patents

Pat. No. Issue Date Patentee 4,250,499 Feb. 10, 1981 Kienzle 8,194,865Jun. 5, 2012 Goldstein et al. 4,827,458 May 2, 1989 D'Alayer deCostemore D'ArcPeople can be unaware of important sounds while they're listening toheadphones. The drawback of an immersive headphone experience is thepossibility of not being alerted to external sounds. This issue becomesespecially problematic during the use of noise-cancelling headphones andhigh volume listening.

Common methods of environmental awareness for headphone users are tohave a headphone over only one ear, to play audio at a low volume, or touse headphones that don't completely surround your ear.

Currently, the most applicable solution to this issue is presented insome phone apps. These phone apps interrupt audio transmitted toheadphones when external sound exceeds a threshold. However, these appsare not portable and cannot be used in other audio devices such aslaptops, stereo receivers, and MP3 players.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,499 issued to Kienzle proposes an alarm device thatdetects when sound is above a threshold and either disconnects earphonesfrom an audio source and then connects the microphone to the earphones,or generates an output notification signal that connects to earphones.It proposes using a potentiometer to adjust the detection levelthreshold. U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,458 issued to D'Alayer de Costemore D'Arcproposes to alert the headphone user only for sounds that could possiblysignal an abnormal event. External sound that is too brief or gradualwould not be considered indicative of an abnormal event and the userwould not be alerted. The user is either alerted by the audio signaltransmission being attenuated or cutoff, or by an alert sound that issuperimposed on the audio signal. A potentiometer is used to set thesensitivity of the system to sound surges and the characteristicsresulting in an alert. It proposes the device to be small enough toeasily incorporate into the listening device or audio source itself. Italso proposes for the microphone to be mounted to the listening deviceor audio source. U.S. Pat. No. 8,194,865 issued to Goldstein et al.proposes a system that recognizes sound signatures and uses localizationto identify pre-determined sounds of interest to the user. It proposesalerting the user to predetermined environmental sounds by differentmeans including amplifying the environmental sound of interest,attenuating interfering environmental sound, reciting a predeterminedidentifying label by means of a text-to-speech converter, rendering asound pre-associated with the environmental sound, reciting localizationinformation, and discontinuing playback of audio.

Although these references propose systems for providing notification ofexternal events to headphone users, they do not provide a feature toautomatically adjust the sound interrupting threshold based on theambient sound level. These systems only propose manual soundinterrupting threshold adjustments that require the user to gauge theambient sound level. The limitations of these existing implementationsand proposals necessitates a device that features both an option toautomatically adjust the sound interrupting threshold based on ambientsound and compatibility with any audio source.

SUMMARY

The proposed audio interrupter is a small, compact device thatinterfaces between an audio source and headphones to momentarily stopsound transmission to alert the user of an external sound above athreshold. The sound interrupting threshold is adjustable either bymeans of manual sensitivity adjustment or by an automatic adjustment ofthe threshold that is based on the ambient sound level in the user'senvironment. It is a portable device that is compatible with any audiosource and headphone.

DRAWINGS Figures

FIG. 1 shows how the audio source and headphones interface with theaudio interrupter alertness device.

FIG. 2 represents the electronic circuitry of the audio interrupteralertness device.

DRAWINGS Reference Numerals

-   1 any audio source-   2 audio interrupter device-   3 headphones-   4 microphone-   5 operational amplifier circuit-   6 DC-DC converter-   7 microcontroller-   8 multi-position switch-   9 tactile switch-   10 analog switches-   11 audio plug-   12 audio jack-   13 battery

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIGS. 1 and 2

FIG. 1 shows the interface configuration of the audio interrupteralterness device 2 with any audio source 1 and headphones 3. The audiosource 1 is connected to the audio interrupter 2, which is in turnconnected to the headphones 3. Examples of audio sources include but arenot limited to a tablet, phone, MP3 player, and stereo receiver.

In FIG. 2, the battery 13 is connected to the DC-DC converter 6, whichsteps up the battery voltage to a VCC level that is used by componentsin the circuit. The microphone 4 converts external sound pressure intoan electrical signal that is amplified by the operational amplifiercircuit 5. The output of the operational amplifier circuit 5 is input tothe microcontroller 7. The analog to digital converter within themicrocontroller 7 converts samples of the audio signal into digitalvalues. The microcontroller 7 has been programmed to compare a digitalvalue to a threshold value. If the digital value is below the threshold,the microcontroller 7 outputs a low voltage on one of its pins. If thedigital value is above the threshold, the microcontroller 7 outputs ahigh voltage on one of its pins. This microcontroller 7 output voltageis input to the analog switches 10. If the microcontroller 7 outputvoltage is low, the analog switches 10 are closed. If themicrocontroller 7 output voltage is high, the analog switches 10 areopen for a short time interval. An audio plug 11 and an audio jack 12are connected to the analog switches 10 in a configuration that connectstheir corresponding conductors. Therefore, the connection of the audiosource 1 and the headphones 3 is open when the analog switches 10 areopen. The connection of the audio source 1 and the headphones 3 isclosed when the analog switches 10 are closed. When the multi-positionswitch 8 is moved, the sound interrupting threshold in themicrocontroller 7 changes by means of its programming. When the tactileswitch 9 is pressed, samples of the ambient sound level are taken andaveraged in the microcontroller 7 to produce a new sound interruptingthreshold.

Advantages

The existing patents for similar audio interrupting devices forheadphones do not propose an automatic sound interrupting thresholdadjustment based on ambient sound. The existing phone apps thatinterrupt audio to headphones do not allow for compatibility with allaudio sources. The present audio interrupting device provides the optionof automatic adjustment of the sound interrupting threshold based on theambient sound level. It also presents a portable device that can beinterfaced with any audio source.

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. An audio interrupter device forheadphones, comprising: a circuit for automatically setting a soundinterrupting threshold level based on an ambient sound level, whereinsaid circuit interrupts audio transmitted to headphones when an externalsound level is measured to be higher than said sound interruptingthreshold level.
 4. The device according to claim 3, wherein saidcircuit is incorporated into any audio player, device or headphones. 5.The device according to claim 3, wherein said circuit further comprisesan active noise
 6. The device according to claim 3, further comprising adetachable clip for mounting the device.
 7. The device according toclaim 3, wherein said circuit interrupts audio transmitted to headphonesby means of silencing the audio to the headphones.
 8. The deviceaccording to claim 3, wherein said circuit interrupts audio transmittedto headphones by sounding an alert to the headphones.
 9. The deviceaccording to claim 3, wherein said circuit interrupts audio transmittedto headphones by using a microphone to transmit sounds to the headphonesfrom the external environment.
 10. The device according to claim 3,wherein said circuit interrupts audio transmitted to headphones by usingBluetooth or other wireless technology.
 11. An audio interrupter devicefor headphones, comprising: a circuit for manually setting a soundinterrupting threshold level based on an ambient sound level, whereinsaid circuit interrupts audio transmitted to headphones when an externalsound level is measured to be higher than said sound interruptingthreshold level.